Lucifer entered through a tall, columned arch, stalking from a back corridor toward the throne. A monstrous piece of gold that had been melted and bashed into shape. A piece that he did not yet sit upon, but that he none the less controlled. He tugged at the outer layer of his robes as he came to a stop. Keeping his disgraceful black wings hidden had become as routine as breathing. Though his care for God’s rules now felt like a monumental waste of time, keeping his nature hidden served his purpose now. With all that raced in his mind, he did not need his plans overshadowed by the discovery of his angelic origins.

Striding hurriedly away through the soaring throne room was the Persian king’s young heir. Now he had learned of his betrothment to unify this great city with Babylon, yet he seemed less than thankful at the impending result as he escaped down the wide steps to the surrounding city.

Which mattered not to Lucifer.

Still seething since his encounter with God seven days ago, Lucifer’s will to protect and guide all that God valued had died along with his hope. A millennium—almost two—wasted. All those years he had thought he was winning his way back into the light. He had thought he was redeeming himself of all his sins. Now God had finally shown him the light.

Lucifer cranked his fists tight, nails scoring crescents in his palms. The sting was welcomed, desired even, as he clenched his back teeth and stared.

Redemption did not exist. At least, not for him. Never for him. All that he longed for was lost to him, taken from him, and in return—

“I can hear the grinding of your teeth from here, Lucifer.” Cambyses turned in his throne, peering up at Lucifer who had arrived moments ago and failed to speak a word. Comfortable in his purple and blue royal robes, the pinching of his brows revealed his growing concern. “Tell me, loyal advisor, what matter wreaks havoc on your thoughts?”

In his many years on Earth, Lucifer had migrated from one ruler to the next, planting the seeds of peace and unity, turning God’s special creations into all that his maker envisioned. But no longer.

Letting the dangerous look across his golden features turn grim, Lucifer bowed his head. Still, he could not force his tight knuckles to release from their stiff hold beside his long, red robe. “My King, I have word from afar. A threat looms and grows. To take your throne and every successor in line to wear your crown. Your death is on the horizon and, in ambush, your grand city will crumble.”

The king rose up at once, thick robes fluttering as he whirled to face Lucifer. Bronzed face fierce, he demanded, “Who is this threat you speak of? Who dares to plot against me and all that is mine?”

The answer was easy. I am. But Lucifer’s own name would not pass his tight lips now. Despite all Lucifer now planned to set in motion, his hands would remain free of blood—exactly as they had on that field beside the ark when he’d used another human’s malicious intent to kill a man and send word to his Gabriel. Except she was no longer his. It seemed she had not been his for almost an eternity, and that thought alone spurred him on, forcing the words to spit from his mouth. “The same king you offered peace and protection to. The ruler who agreed to betroth his daughter to your son, Cyrus. Whispers swarm of his intent—to set upon your city at the formal union of your bloodlines.”

The king’s eyes fell, becoming blank as if seeing the joyous event in this very room. Candles on stems, silk draped longways from between the columns, flowers that would turn the brown stone yellow and white, his son and the Babylon princess side by side, kneeling and forearms lifted and joined with silk. And then blood-curdling screams, frightened men and women of wealth running in terror, blazing fire all around, and blood. Pouring, screaming, spurting, coating everything and everyone as they fell to death.

Lucifer smiled at the images, knowing this was what the king actually saw in his mind—because Lucifer had created and implanted the thoughts himself. Of all the downfalls on Earth, discovering long ago that he could control a mortal’s mind had served him in his plight for redemption. Now it would assist him in his revenge, that much was evident as the last image, the king’s dead son atop a mound of dead bodies with his throat cut from ear to ear, was delivered.

The king roared and spun around, facing the clean, expansive room with its soaring ceiling. He stalked forward a few steps as if he could still see the bloodshed, the danger to come. Then he did exactly what Lucifer had intended. “Guards! Prepare your numbers, sharpen your weapons. A war is coming, but we will not be taken blind. Now go!”

The men stationed around the throne room in leathers and armored chest plates reacted at once, half of them vacating their post to race out the soaring entry and down the wide steps. The rest put hands to their swords, remaining in protection of their king.

Back in Lucifer’s face, the king sneered, face red and dark eyes wild. “You will lead my army.”

Not a question. A command. One Lucifer had received and obeyed in the past. But not anymore. With the strength his eyes and voice contained, he set the king on a course that would lead to his downfall. “No. You will. With honor and pride you will lead your men into battle. You will slaughter your enemies.” Leaning in close, he tightened his hold on the edges of his robe to keep his wings covered as he whispered in Cambyses’s ear. “And you will die heroically.”

The king blinked slowly, then he smiled with wicked intent. “This war is mine to fight—to win.” Cambyses grasped Lucifer by his bicep. “Protect all we have built in my absence. Protect my son.”

Lucifer nodded and stepped back, turning to leave through the pillars he’d entered through.

The earlier thought the king had interrupted came back to him, and from his whispering lips, it became a promise. “You took all that I cared for away from me, and now I must return the favor. All that you cherish, all that you value, I will ruin it as surely as you, God, have ruined me.”